A musical instrument ligature is a device which holds a reed on to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments such as the saxophone and clarinet. Traditionally the reeds were bound to the mouthpiece by a cord, hence the term ligature which means the act of tying or binding. Ligatures today are most commonly made out of metal, such as brass, and can be plated in nickel, silver, gold, rhodium, etc.
There are a number of ligature designs each improving on the way the reed is held and comes into contact with the ligature. The contact between the reed and the ligature reflects the tonal qualities of the instrument. The more tightly the reed is held or screwed down to the mouthpiece, the more dampened the sound.
Modern day ligatures are typically made of metal and are of a screw type where the metal band holds the reed in place to the mouth piece with several design variations which play with the contact between the reed and the ligature to get the best results.
There are a few ligatures available today constructed totally in wood instead of metal working on the same principle of holding the reed pressed to the mouthpiece as in previous versions.
The present invention specifically addresses minimizing the contact between the ligature and the reed to a minimum never before achieved, using a combination of wood and metal.
The invention provides for a metal ligature using one, two, or more wooden stalks which act as the contact points between the ligature and the reed thereby enhancing reed vibration and tonal quality to the maximum.